Joe Lillis, activist succumbs at 69

He was born and educated in town, worked his whole life in the community and spent years determined to preserve its history for the next generation.
Lillis even chose license plates for his car that read "NMCT."
On Saturday, family and friends were remembering that legacy.
Lillis, 69, a partner in the

Lillis Funeral Home
on Bridge Street, died Friday at
Danbury Hospital
.
"If
Joe Lillis
became your friend, he'd be your friend for life," said
Dan Jowdy
, owner of the
Jowdy-Kane Funeral Home
in Danbury and a longtime friend.
"We met in 1966 and worked together," said Jowdy. "We used to meet for lunch once a week."
Lillis' life touched almost every segment of the New Milford community, from the chamber of commerce and the ambulance association to charity fund-raisers and town government.
Lillis became a justice of the peace, a veteran member of the

Democratic Town Committee
and a treasurer for American Cancer Society fund-raising drives.
As an active worker for the establishment of zoning in New Milford, Lillis was a former vice chairman of the
New Milford Planning Commission
and a former chairman of the town's
Multi-Family Dwelling Committee
.
Current town council member and fellow
Democrat Frank Wargo
remembered Lillis as "a quiet man."
"It was hard to get to know him but he always got involved with organizations," said Wargo. "That was because Joe wanted to get involved."
Lillis' other interests included the Rotary Club, the New Milford Jaycees and the

Water Witch Hose Company No.2
where he was a member for 48 years.
Lillis' love and concern for New Milford's history resulted in his appointment in 1988 as the town's first historian. His own archives contained an extensive collection of local pottery, pewter and pictures.
On Saturday, Dan Jowdy shared one personal memory that illustrated Lillis' devotion to the community.
"Joe once told me wanted to write a book about all his experiences in town," said Jowdy. He said he'd call it 'To New Milford With Love.'"